No title

"Me? I am nothing. A speck of dust on the king's cloak. A dancer on a spider's thread. A worm that leaps, catching whatever fate throws at it. And you? You are... lost in history, the accidental victim of a pack of hyenas wearing lion crowns. Where is the true lion when he's not on the throne? Scavengers tear at his body. And you flee, flee so as not to be yet another carrion devoured by them. That's what they are and what we are,"

said the man with black eyes, as dark as night, as Mother Earth and Father Death. And he was right, I knew it well, though I wasn't used to the wordplay and the clowning he regaled me with. But how did he know? Or maybe he didn't? I shook my head, letting my wet hair fall over my cheek: that wasn't what mattered now.

"So what are you doing here, speck of dust, dancer, worm?" The nonchalance in my voice betrayed no hidden fear. At least that's what I hoped.

"The same as you, but the other way around," he replied with the smile of a traveler addressing a three-year-old boy. "

Then drop it. The castle is impossible to get into.

" "If it's possible to get in, it shouldn't be any harder.

" "And yet it is, if you don't know the entrance. Or someone at the entrance." I smiled, looking at the single gate, manned by a dozen or so guards. The fact that most of them were snoring didn't matter.

"But I do," he replied with incredible confidence. "Is it possible that...? If he knows someone, he must be one of them! Chasing me?" Surprise spun me, and I jerked back, placing my hand on the brooch. An absurd gesture: drawing attention by suddenly obscuring an object. If he was who I thought he was, it should be enough to make me feel the stigma of Harrogath's invisible chains again. And who knows, maybe this time they'd be visible chains... But he ignored my fear and seemed uninterested in the small object on his chest. "

So where's your gate, guardian?" he asked, the corners of his lips curling upward. His blade extended silently.

"Are you mad!" I waved my hand a little too vigorously, and a few magical sparks flew from between my fingers. Indignation, however, overcame my fear. "You think you can force me to go back there?! I only have to scream and...

" "You're right," he interrupted calmly. "I won't force you. But you want to go there yourself," he continued coldly, ignoring my growing disbelief. "You're consumed with curiosity about what fool is trying to get into that accursed fortress, and why.

Indeed, he was. But I only realized it at that moment. I refused to be deceived, nor did he let me know he'd seen right through me." I spoke in a voice as cold and calm as his, my gaze expressing disappointment and contempt.

"Even so, you don't think I'm stupid enough to give in to her, do you?"

"Indeed..." he admitted, stopping dead in his tracks. Only now did I see his utter helplessness. All of this—the blade, the experience, the confidence—was nothing: just a mask he tried to hide from himself, that he didn't know what to do next. And more importantly, to hide from me, even though we both knew he needed me. For the first time in so long, someone needed me for a reason other than lust. And I desperately wanted to help him. Unless, of course, he meant murder.

"So? Will you satisfy my curiosity, and I'll decide if I can trust you? Or will we stand here for a while, then I'll leave, and you'll be left alone with your problems."

He sighed heavily, though I couldn't help but see it, also with relief.

"The fool before you is called Anhiat. And his target is a person. A woman imprisoned somewhere in this fortress, named Aen. Silv'Aen.

" "From the wood elves..." I finished. "Your lover." How noble and banal." I spread my hands disarmingly.

"You're wrong," he said simply. "Not a whit of nobility, not to mention banality. An elf, an elf. Pretty enough, with blond hair and eyes full of turquoise. But she's not my lover."

I laughed heartily. He denied it. But of course he had to deny it. What kind of girl would go with a stranger to save his beloved from this stony hell? Only infatuated. And nothing ruins infatuation like the knowledge of another. He was mistaken, however. That other was a guarantee of my safety. And that's precisely why I intended to go with him.

"Of course. And now, noble Anhiat, my noble thug, let me touch you."

He shook himself. That meant he knew what I intended to do. But he had no choice. I approached, placing a cold hand on his cheek. Warm and soft, though covered in stubble. I closed my eyes, running my fingers over his face and down, his neck, his throat, lower still: to his heart. I didn't see deeply, only what I needed to know. Even when the walls he'd built within himself crumbled, I didn't get any closer to his secrets. Call it stupid, I couldn't, I simply couldn't.

"Darkness protecting the light from the darkness within.

" "What does that mean?" A hint of mockery failed to discourage me.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But this little light is enough for me."

"Is an uncertain flame worth your trust?" A malicious, slightly mocking smile still etched on his face.

"The uncertain flame within is more than charred blackness, despite the glow of the fires. Besides, that's not the point. You know well enough that you can trust me."

Slowly, as if hesitantly, he nodded. I knew, however, that this insecurity wasn't about me, but rather stemmed from pride and loneliness. This man chose his friends wisely. Or not at all. Although the fact that he had a mistress seemed to indicate the former.

"So let's go, I only know one place where they could be keeping your chosen one. Unless, of course, she's ingratiated herself with the guards, but I think we can rule that out, right?"

The sneer had an effect; he almost imperceptibly frowned and bit his lip. That almost imperceptible was far more telling than if he'd spat and cursed. I've got you, I thought, and smiled to myself. The score had been settled.

"Only a coward strikes those who can't defend themselves." And yet, no.

"A coward is a soldier who strikes at a weakness, exposed and unprotected by armor?

" "A soldier has other opponents around him.

" "One is enough for me. I'm only a woman. Have you noticed?" I delicately shifted my weight onto my right leg and slightly spread my arms. I didn't want this gesture to be too trivial or intrusive. Such a subtle change, almost reflexive, yet shy and subdued, yet perfectly accentuating a woman's curves. It wasn't just those stupid lackeys at gates and inns who started salivating after something like that. After something like that, the king would get up and hurry off to his bedroom, to unload his excessive excitement on one of his numerous concubines. Or concubines.

The man, however, nodded indifferently. He gave me the worst slap a woman could endure. Anger and the dull bitterness of defeat were the last straw. And just as I was about to snort and leave, I remembered how much I wanted to help him.

"Let's go. We're wasting time," I said, turning toward the moat. He jumped into the water before me, dousing the spray nicely, nimbly and impossibly fast. Before admiration washed over me, I managed a condescending smile and a slow, silent scowl. I disappeared underwater just as one of the guards sent his light over me. I sank to the bottom. I could float now and wait until the man next to me ran out of air and had to surface. I could stay at the bottom long after they'd pulled him out, beaten him, and brought him back to his cells, where he'd wait a few days before execution. I could, and that realization completely cooled my thirst for revenge. He smiled faintly and gestured for me to swim ahead. I smiled back. I led him, swimming low, my belly almost touching the sand, along a winding trail between magical nets. At first, I swam relatively slowly, but when I realized he could easily overtake me, I picked up the pace. And again, and again, until he was right behind me! We entered a tunnel, next to which lay a rusty grate. Darkness all around, walls slick with seaweed and other things, water as disgusting as only sewers. Left and up, right and down. A mess, a labyrinth of sewers. I remembered. A bubble of air. Let him catch his breath. And on and on. I was fading faster... but he, too, grew weaker. Finally, the tunnel disappeared, and the foaming excrement ejected us between the outer and inner walls, in a small, tight space created by an engineering error, seemingly without exit. I cautiously placed my eye against a crack in the mortar. The dungeons were empty. Except, of course, for a few creatures so disfigured and battered they couldn't be called either human or prisoners. They were still more like living flesh, and that was all they had. I hooked my fingers into a brick and pulled it out. It fell softly into the sludge. A moment later, three more landed there. Before I could tell him he couldn't squeeze through, he used the opening to find himself in one of the cells and extended his hand. I proudly declined help and nimbly jumped through the opening, which cost me another scratch. But the effect on his face was worth it. I saw him gasp, holding back surprise... and admiration. For a few split seconds, I savored the triumph, my lips slightly parted. But time was running out; at any moment, a patrol could arrive from the tangled web of corridors. I clung to the shadows, though the still-visible white of my dress still gave me away even to the half-blind. But my reflexes were stronger than my senses. The rusty grate was open, like all the others around it. Why lock it? These people here no longer had the strength to escape. The elf's cell was a different story: they had definitely locked that one. The masters of this place wouldn't be foolish enough to leave one of these creatures unchained. Even a dying one. The spark of fight in elves burned out much slower than in humans.ALMOST all people," I snorted, breaking into a light jog. The man followed me wordlessly. My feet sank into the slushy mud, the squelching sounds incredibly difficult to muffle. I knew, however, that only a significant noise would force the guards to change their patrol route. In this part of the dungeons. In others, unfortunately, they were much more vigilant. We passed many cells, escorted by quiet moans and frantic pleas for release. If I had a key and an army, perhaps I would have, but dragging such exhausted people the way I had come meant certain and not-so-glorious death for all of us. The light grew brighter. The rows of torches thickened, the ground squelched less, and the steel bars, instead of rust, were adorned with beautifully forged locks. The dominant sound was the clanging of chains and the distant commands of the guards. I sighed softly. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep them apart. And my dark-eyed companion wasn't making it any easier. Scouring the cells took him far too long to effectively ensure our safety. I sighed louder. From around the bend, steadily, slowly, and inexorably, like a shadow coming at night to steal your soul, a squad of guards approached. Our death. Who could resist admiring the precision and beauty of their own death? Polished armor gleamed in the flickering light, eyes pierced the darkness of each cage, and hissing, rasping voices from within cursed the fierceness of their mouths and the fierceness of their swords. Swords that would soon plunge into us, just as, incidentally, they repeatedly plunged into the twisted shapes behind the bars. To quell the rebellion, but not hard enough to cause any real damage. The prison worked methodically, killing every ounce of emotion in the condemned: we had passed through pain and fear. This place cooled ardor and anger. Farther, farther, hope died alone. It was there I expected to find the elf. If she hadn't already moved on to the mangled inhuman creatures we'd passed. Where the cry for death died. With a shudder, I dismissed the images. That wasn't important now, and like an idiot, I'd wasted precious fractions of a second. I jerked back, throwing myself violently, clutching the black cloak of the man who had doomed us to failure: we won't have time to hide, we won't have time to escape! Wanting to hide behind the nearest corner. But he suddenly stiffened and with a forceful movement, grabbed my hand, locking us in place. So he had revealed his ruse after all! A half-assed attempt so painfully obvious it was unbelievable! I couldn't believe my naivety. I screamed, trying to push the royal hunter away, but my voice and effort were lost in nothing. The blackness flooding my temples and helpless anger were all I remember.In this part of the dungeons. In others, they were, unfortunately, much more vigilant. We passed many cells, led away by quiet moans and frantic pleas for release. If I had a key and an army, perhaps I would have, but dragging such exhausted people the way I had come meant certain, and not entirely glorious, death for all of us. The light grew brighter. The rows of torches thickened, the ground sloshed less, and the steel bars, instead of rust, were adorned with beautifully forged locks. The dominant sound was the clanging of chains and the distant commands of the guards. I sighed quietly. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep them apart. And my dark-eyed companion wasn't making it any easier. Searching the cells took him far too long to effectively ensure our safety. I sighed louder. From around the bend, steadily, slowly, and inexorably, like a shadow coming at night to steal your soul, a squad of guards approached. Our death. Who could resist admiring the precision and beauty of their own death? Polished armor gleamed in the flickering light, eyes pierced the darkness of each cage, while hissing, rasping voices from within cursed the fierceness of their mouths and the fierceness of their swords. Swords that would soon pierce us, just as, incidentally, they repeatedly pierced the swirling shapes behind the bars. To quell rebellion, yet not hard enough to cause any real damage. The prison worked methodically, squelching every ounce of emotion within the condemned: we had passed over pain and fear. This place cooled ardor and anger. Farther, farther, hope died alone. It was there I expected to find the elf. Unless it had already moved on to the mangled inhuman creatures we'd passed. Where the dying cry of death lay. With a shudder, I dismissed the images. That wasn't important now, and like an idiot, I'd wasted precious fractions of a second. I jerked back, throwing myself backward, clutching the black cloak of the man who had doomed us to failure: we wouldn't have time to hide, we wouldn't have time to escape!; wanting to hide behind the nearest corner. But he suddenly stiffened and with a forceful movement, grabbed my hand, trapping us in place. So he had revealed his ruse after all! A half-cheat so painfully obvious it was unbelievable! I couldn't believe my naivety. I screamed, trying to push the royal hunter away, but my voice and effort were lost in nothing. The blackness flooding my temples and helpless anger were all I remember.In this part of the dungeons. In others, they were, unfortunately, much more vigilant. We passed many cells, led away by quiet moans and frantic pleas for release. If I had a key and an army, perhaps I would have, but dragging such exhausted people the way I had come meant certain, and not entirely glorious, death for all of us. The light grew brighter. The rows of torches thickened, the ground sloshed less, and the steel bars, instead of rust, were adorned with beautifully forged locks. The dominant sound was the clanging of chains and the distant commands of the guards. I sighed quietly. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep them apart. And my dark-eyed companion wasn't making it any easier. Searching the cells took him far too long to effectively ensure our safety. I sighed louder. From around the bend, steadily, slowly, and inexorably, like a shadow coming at night to steal your soul, a squad of guards approached. Our death. Who could resist admiring the precision and beauty of their own death? Polished armor gleamed in the flickering light, eyes pierced the darkness of each cage, while hissing, rasping voices from within cursed the fierceness of their mouths and the fierceness of their swords. Swords that would soon pierce us, just as, incidentally, they repeatedly pierced the swirling shapes behind the bars. To quell rebellion, yet not hard enough to cause any real damage. The prison worked methodically, squelching every ounce of emotion within the condemned: we had passed over pain and fear. This place cooled ardor and anger. Farther, farther, hope died alone. It was there I expected to find the elf. Unless it had already moved on to the mangled inhuman creatures we'd passed. Where the dying cry of death lay. With a shudder, I dismissed the images. That wasn't important now, and like an idiot, I'd wasted precious fractions of a second. I jerked back, throwing myself backward, clutching the black cloak of the man who had doomed us to failure: we wouldn't have time to hide, we wouldn't have time to escape!; wanting to hide behind the nearest corner. But he suddenly stiffened and with a forceful movement, grabbed my hand, trapping us in place. So he had revealed his ruse after all! A half-cheat so painfully obvious it was unbelievable! I couldn't believe my naivety. I screamed, trying to push the royal hunter away, but my voice and effort were lost in nothing. The blackness flooding my temples and helpless anger were all I remember.The dominant sound was the clanging of chains and the distant commands of the guards. I sighed softly. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep them at a distance. And my dark-eyed companion wasn't making it any easier. Scouring the cells took him far too long to effectively ensure our safety. I sighed louder. From around the bend, steadily, slowly, and inexorably, like a shadow coming at night to steal your soul, a squad of guards approached. Our death. Who could resist admiring the precision and beauty of their own death? Polished armor gleamed in the flickering light, eyes pierced the darkness of each cage, and hissing, rasping voices from within cursed the fierceness of their mouths and the fierceness of their swords. Swords that would soon plunge into us, just as, incidentally, they repeatedly plunged into the tangled shapes behind the bars. To suppress the rebellion, but not enough to cause any serious damage. The prison worked methodically, killing every ounce of emotion in the condemned: we had passed through pain and fear. This place cooled ardor and anger. Farther, farther, hope died alone. It was there I expected to find the elf. If she hadn't already moved on to the mangled inhuman creatures we'd passed. Where the cry for death died. With a shudder, I dismissed the images. That wasn't important now, and like an idiot, I'd wasted precious fractions of a second. I jerked back, violently grabbing the black cloak of the man who had doomed us to failure: we won't have time to hide, we won't have time to escape! Wanting to hide behind the nearest corner. But he suddenly stiffened and with a forceful movement, grabbed my hand, locking us in place. So he had revealed his ruse after all! A half-cheat so painfully obvious it was unbelievable! I couldn't believe my naivety. I screamed, trying to push the royal hunter away, but my voice and effort were lost in nothing. The blackness flooding my temples and helpless anger were all I remember.The dominant sound was the clanging of chains and the distant commands of the guards. I sighed softly. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep them at a distance. And my dark-eyed companion wasn't making it any easier. Scouring the cells took him far too long to effectively ensure our safety. I sighed louder. From around the bend, steadily, slowly, and inexorably, like a shadow coming at night to steal your soul, a squad of guards approached. Our death. Who could resist admiring the precision and beauty of their own death? Polished armor gleamed in the flickering light, eyes pierced the darkness of each cage, and hissing, rasping voices from within cursed the fierceness of their mouths and the fierceness of their swords. Swords that would soon plunge into us, just as, incidentally, they repeatedly plunged into the tangled shapes behind the bars. To suppress the rebellion, but not enough to cause any serious damage. The prison worked methodically, killing every ounce of emotion in the condemned: we had passed through pain and fear. This place cooled ardor and anger. Farther, farther, hope died alone. It was there I expected to find the elf. If she hadn't already moved on to the mangled inhuman creatures we'd passed. Where the cry for death died. With a shudder, I dismissed the images. That wasn't important now, and like an idiot, I'd wasted precious fractions of a second. I jerked back, violently grabbing the black cloak of the man who had doomed us to failure: we won't have time to hide, we won't have time to escape! Wanting to hide behind the nearest corner. But he suddenly stiffened and with a forceful movement, grabbed my hand, locking us in place. So he had revealed his ruse after all! A half-cheat so painfully obvious it was unbelievable! I couldn't believe my naivety. I screamed, trying to push the royal hunter away, but my voice and effort were lost in nothing. The blackness flooding my temples and helpless anger were all I remember.Much further on, hope lay dying alone. That was where I expected to find the elf. If she hadn't already moved on to the mangled inhuman creatures we'd passed. Where the cry for death died. With a shudder, I dismissed the images. That wasn't important now, and like an idiot, I'd wasted precious fractions of a second. I jerked back, throwing myself backward, violently grabbing the black cloak of the man who had doomed us to failure: we won't have time to hide, we won't have time to escape!; wanting to hide behind the nearest corner. But he suddenly stiffened and with a forceful movement, grabbed my hand, locking us in place. So he had revealed his trick after all! A half-snap so painfully obvious it was unbelievable! I couldn't believe my naivety. I screamed, trying to push the royal huntsman away, but my voice and effort were lost in nothing. The blackness flooding my temples and helpless anger were all I remember.Much further on, hope lay dying alone. That was where I expected to find the elf. If she hadn't already moved on to the mangled inhuman creatures we'd passed. Where the cry for death died. With a shudder, I dismissed the images. That wasn't important now, and like an idiot, I'd wasted precious fractions of a second. I jerked back, throwing myself backward, violently grabbing the black cloak of the man who had doomed us to failure: we won't have time to hide, we won't have time to escape!; wanting to hide behind the nearest corner. But he suddenly stiffened and with a forceful movement, grabbed my hand, locking us in place. So he had revealed his trick after all! A half-snap so painfully obvious it was unbelievable! I couldn't believe my naivety. I screamed, trying to push the royal huntsman away, but my voice and effort were lost in nothing. The blackness flooding my temples and helpless anger were all I remember.